District Council Could be the First to Offer its Own Lottery

A local authority in Buckinghamshire could be the first to offer its own lottery, in competition with Lotto, EuroMillions and the Health Lottery. Aylesbury Vale District Council is set to decide in the next couple of weeks whether to go ahead with the scheme, which would also need Gambling Commission approval before the first draw could take place.

The lottery would cost £1 a week to play, with tickets paid for by direct debit or payment card, and would offer prizes starting from three free tickets for matching two numbers. The jackpot would stand at £20,000 for matching six numbers in the correct order and each player who hits the top prize would be guaranteed to bank the full amount, even if there were multiple winners. The odds of matching two numbers would be one in 56, with a one in 1 million chance of banking the jackpot in the draw.

The plan is to donate a huge 58p of every pound played to good causes, significantly more than the 28p from Lotto and EuroMillions and the Health Lottery’s 20p. The added bonus to players would be that the money would benefit projects within the borders of Aylesbury Vale, although profit-raising organisations and those that aim to promote particular political or religious beliefs would not be able to claim funding.

Community and voluntary groups would be able to use the council’s lottery software to run their own games, saving them the cost of licensing. It is estimated that the lottery could raise more than £20,000 for local schemes if just 0.5 percent of the area’s population played regularly for a year. If 2.5 percent of those eligible took part, that would bring in more than £100,000 for the projects.

The lottery is seen as a viable way for local authorities to be able to continue to fund local projects, even in a time of budget cuts, and could lead to a number of other councils around the country proposing similar schemes if it comes to fruition.

The issue will be discussed in cabinet on Tuesday 1st September, before being presented to the full council on Wednesday 9th September.